(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite light source apparatus for phototherapy of skin disease. More particularly, the present invention relates to a composite light source apparatus for phototherapy of skin disease, in which a light beam having the wavelength and optical power suitable for light-beam treatment is provided to a region to be treated (also called a ‘to-be-treated region’) through a light guide by using a composite light source so as to improve efficiency of phototherapy of skin diseases of the body including acne, malignant tumors and the like.
(b) Background Art
Today, a therapy is widely known which employs light beams for the purpose of treatment of various skin diseases such as acne, chloasma, age spots, maculae, scars, wrinkles, malignant tumor and the like.
A phototherapy device used in phototherapy for the purpose of such medical treatment is generally composed of a treatment light source and an optical cable using an optical fiber for delivering a light beam emitted from treatment light source to a to-be-treated region (area) of a patient' body.
In this case, the light source can employ various lamps such as a halogen lamp, a Xenon lamp, a metal-halide lamp, a mercury lamp and so forth. A fiber optic light source apparatus based on these lamps has been developed (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,866 B1)
Also, an array of LEDs may be employed (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,711), and a coherent laser light source is used (see U.S. Pat. No. 7,016,718 B2).
However, as a conventional light source apparatus for phototherapy, a light source developed by LumaCare™ Company to perform the photo dynamic therapy (PDT) includes only a halogen lamp as a constituent element.
The single light source of this halogen lamp does not provide a sufficient light intensity allowable for the treatment indispensably requiring a spectrum light of a short wavelength range of around 400 nm. In case of using a single lamp, it is difficult to provide an optimal condition satisfying various demands for diagnosis and treatment.
The light source is selected depending on a demand for the manufacturing of equipment considering means for a special medical purpose and a both technical and economical aspect. Especially, when a complex work is needed, the use of a single lamp does not generally provide an optimal method. In this case, an equipment developer is dependent upon a special-purpose lamp or complements shortcomings of the signal lamp by using several lamps.
In order to enhance the power or wavelength of an optical energy emitted from the single light source, several methods are known that allows a user to utilize several light sources according to the circumstances.
For example, in order to select a light source with a suitable wavelength, an associated light source may be coaxially aligned with a proximal end surface of a fiber optic cable as a light transmission medium by using a rotation scheme without a variation in the distance between a light guide cable and a light source, or the light sources may be moved in the direction of a longitudinal axis by means of a motor as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,899 B1 to Carl E. Griffin et, al.
In addition, the lamp may be configured such that emitted light is sequentially incident on a plane of incidence of a light guide by means of a fixable and movable foldable mirror.
However, such a conventional illumination scheme entails a disadvantage in that (a) a device is complicated due to the light sources or the mirror which is movable and (b) simultaneous utilization of light emitted from several light sources is impossible.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known to a person skilled in that art.